How We Change For Those We Love
by ricojohn
Summary: AU where soulmate's go through a change on their 21st birthday. The first chapter explains everything. There's not enough room in the summery box. Just give it a try. Warning, this story is a Persephone story so if ur not into it then don't read. Percabeth! M because I'm paranoid on where this story might lead.


A Message from the Author: I'm very inspired right now.

In this world we are who we are and there is someone out there for everyone. A soul mate, so to speak. Lives are lived normally until the twenty first birthday of each person. On the exact minute the person was born on that day, the physical appearance of the person will change. So after they are the perfect match for their other half. When it happens the name of their soulmate will appear on their arm. If their soulmate isn't 21 yet then only their last name will appear but the full name will appear once both of them are 21. Sometimes the changes are small and other times they are large. Follow the story of two people as they adjust to a future together that neither of them had ever imagined.

Chapter 1: Changes

POV: Percy

'It's today!' I thought. 'I'm finally 21!'

I was celebrating at my birthday party, chatting with all my friends, and waiting for three P.M. to come around for my change. For the time when I would turn into the perfect match for the person that would be the love of my life.

"You nerves man?" Grover asked me. "What if it makes you a hideously disfigured, hunch backed, guy."

I gave him a cocky smile.

"So long as it's what she likes then I'm fine." I said. "Not like I need to go looking for dates anymore."

He just shrugged.

"I guess." He said. "It's gona be weird trying to recognize the new you though, You're the first person I've met before they change."

"You've met others before they changed." I say in response.

He nodded.

"Yah, but none of them have changed yet." He said. "I'm just saying it's gona be weird seeing you with a different face."

"The change might not be that big." I said. "For all we know my tan will become slightly less tan and that's it."

Grover shrugged again.

"Maybe." He said.

And with that he walked off into the crowd as I walked over to the punch bowl set up on a foldable table in my back yard.

I stared down into it to see my reflection in the red juice. I had to agree with Grover, it was weird to think my face might look completely different. No more see green eyes and jet black hair or he various scars I've acquired from sports and I might lose my swimmer's body. The thought of completely changing was kind of freaky but I also knew there was nothing I could do about it so no point worrying.

And so I walked over to Leo and started to laugh at the jokes he was telling Frank.

He was in the middle of a joke story when I felt a sharp pain in my chest and felt light headed. The yard started to spin around me as I checked my watch to see it was three in the afternoon. It was time.

"Mom!" I called out as I whipped around to see all the people in the yard were staring at me.

I could see my mom in the crowd.

I locked eyes with her, silently pleading for help. I was scared of what was about to happen. I had heard some pretty scary stories of changes gone wrong.

She just gave me an encouraging nod as I felt my body start to change. Bones resetting in new arias and various parts of my body shifting around.

When it finally stopped there was a shocked silence from the crowd as I checked my arm for the name of my soulmate. My cloths felt funny too. My shirt was too tight and my pants felt loose, like there was extra fabric that was just dangling there that wasn't before.

My arm was smaller and more slender then I recalled but I guess I was just smaller now.

Chase

The one word inked on my arm like a tattoo.

I was a little disappointed that she wasn't twenty-one yet but at least my change was over.

Just under the name was constantly shifting ink that read 0, 0, 0, 2, 3, 20, 10.

The ten turned to nine, then eight, and so on till it hit zero and then the 20 became 19 as the 0 on the end reset to 60 and started to count down.

It was a timer. 0 years, 0 months, 0 weeks, 2 days, 3 hours, 19 minutes, and 30…wait no 29, 28, 27…well you get it, it was counting seconds too.

"Uh, Percy?" Grover asked, taking a slow step forward.

"How do I look?" I asked him, only to pause in surprise. "Wha?" I began. "My voice…"

"Percy," Grover cut me off in a careful voice. "You're a girl."

"What?" I asked as I looked down at myself, hoping this was some sort of joke.

Sure enough though there were a pair of breasts under my shirt and I ran over to the punch bowl to see my reflection only to find a girl with black hair and sea green eyes staring back at me from the punch bowl.

"What?" I gasped. "How? MOM!"

I whipped around, hoping she had some answers.

She had raised me, alone, for as long as I could remember and she taught me everything I knew about the change. She's the best mom I could asked for and in that moment all I wanted was for her to tell me it would be ok. Explain why this had happened.

"Mom!" I called out again as she emerged from the crowd and gave me a hug.

"It's ok, sweety." She said. "It's ok, this happens sometimes."

"Wait," I heard Leo mutter. "He was gay?"

"Shut it." Frank whispered back. "He wasn't gay."

"Then why's he a girl now?" Leo asked.

I ignored them, not wanting to think about the fact that the name Chase was probably some dude.

The very thought made me shudder.

I had to get out of here.

I ran into my house and up to my room where I slammed my door shut and dove onto my bed, feeling like I was about to cry.

I had been waiting for the girl of my dreams but now I was a girl! Some dude was out there waiting for me and I felt like I wanted to die.

I just laid face down on my bed until I heard my door open and a weight being added to the bed next to me.

I looked over to see my mom smiling at me.

"Hay." She said softly. "I know this is a bit of a shock but it's all so you will meet your soulmate."

"I don't want one." I said. "I don't want to be a girl! Soulmate or not I don't want mine to be some dude when I used to be one!"

She continued to smile at me as she spoke.

"We'll it's still possible that your soulmate is a girl." She said.

"Then why am I a girl?" I asked. "Why not just leave me as a guy?"

My mother just gave me a sad frown.

"There's probably a reason." She said. "Just hang in there."

Sounds easier said than done.

The next two days were the toughest of my life. I just tried to hold myself together while internally trembling with fear. I was a guy and now I'm supposed to fall head over heels for one? What the hell? I have nothing against people who are into that type of thing but this wasn't something I had ever considered. All I wanted was to go back to how things were.

POV Change!

POV: Annabeth

I rolled over in bed, enjoying my lie in. Saturdays were always my favorite. Nothing to do and more than enough time on my hands for documentary's and gaming. I was debating getting up when I heard a banging on my door.

"Annabeth?" My father called through the door. "Are you awake yet?"

"No." I grumbled back in response.

He sighed.

"The guests will be here soon." He called through the door. "You should get ready."

'Guests.' My mind echoed.

In my groggy state I forgot it was my birthday today. I was twenty-one.

My eyes snapped open and flew to my clock.

10:26

I had over slept. I scrambled to my feet and rushed to my dresser to get some cloths. As I reached for the handle to open the dresser I froze in shock.

Persephone Jackson was inked on my skin above 0, 0, 0, 0, 7, 34, 01

My change had happened when I was asleep! What did I look like now?

I flung my bed room door open to find myself face to face with my father.

"Anna..." He began but froze. "You, well, your change…"

"What do I look like?" I demanded.

He just stared at me so I pushed past him and ran to the bathroom to find a mirror. Once I got to it I froze in shock. Gone was my pail white skin from my years of studying and gaming. My dark brown hair was gone as well and so was my blue eyes.

I now had tan skin and blond hair. My eyes were an intense storm grey that scared even me.

This is what my soulmate wanted? I checked the name on my arm again and frowned.

Persephone Jackson.

That sounded like a girl's name to my ears as I read it out loud.

"What's that you said?" My father asked.

"My soulmate is Persephone Jackson." I said louder as I emerged from the bathroom.

He frowned at me as I came out.

"I'm sure he's a nice guy." My father said.

"It doesn't sound like a guy's name." I said. "Jane is a name that could be either or but Persephone?"

My father rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I'm sure everything will be fine." He said. "Probably just some name that sounds funny."

With that he wished me a happy birthday and left.

To be honest I was kind of relived about the name of my soulmate because if I was right it took off some of the pressure I was feeling. I was never very good at meeting new people let alone talking to boys. I guess I'll find out in seven hours and thirty minutes.

After getting dressed I went down stairs to find my twenty-year-old brother Malcom on the couch.

"Hay," He greeted as he turned around and caught sight of me. "Holy crap, it real does change you."

I shrugged, feeling uncomfortable.

"I guess." I said walking over to the couch and sitting down next to him.

"So Piper called." He said casually as we watched a WWII documentary that I had seen over a hundred times. "She wants to go to the mall later today and let you pick out a present for yourself."

"Did she say when?" I asked as the documentary was recounting how a guy's M1 stopped a bullet from an MG 42 and saved his life.

"Yah," Malcom began. "She said around 5:30."

I checked my wrist and ran some math in my head and realized I would meet my soulmate at around six.

Accounting for the time it would take to drive to the mall it would probably be 5:50. So to me that answered my question. I was going to meet my soulmate at the mall.

"You ok?" Malcom asked me. "You look like I just told you bongo died."

Bongo las my Labrador.

"I'm fine." I told him, staring at the TV but not really paying attention. "My timer says I'm going to meet my soulmate at around six."

"Today?" He asked in surprise.

I nodded.

"Don't tell dad." I warned him. "You know how he gets and I don't want him threatening this person like he's been swearing he'd do for years."

Malcom nodded.

"Fine." He said. "But I'm coming to the mall with you."

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Someone's gota size this guy up." He said with a sarcastic grin.

POV Change!

POV: Persi

"I said you're coming!" My mother scolded. "You're a girl now and you need appropriate clothing."

"Can't you just pick something out?" I asked her.

I already felt self-conscious about my current situation without having to buy girl's clothes.

"I could but I don't know your pants size." She said. "And before you tell me to guess it, I also would need to know your shirt size, and I don't think you want your mother buying your panties and bras."

I could feel my face turn bright red.

"Ok," I cut her off before she could continue. "I get it."

"Then grab your shoes." She said before pausing. "How much time is left on the timer." She asked me.

I shrugged.

I had wrapped my arm with an ace bandage yesterday to try and stop myself from going insane.

"Covering it up won't make it go away." She said as I tied my laces on my too large shoes.

"I know." I said. "But it helps me feel better."

Time Break!

We were in a popular clothing store in the mall and I was trying on different bras. As it turns out the change was kind to me and gave me D cups.

"You ok in there Persi?" My mother called through the door.

"Yah," I answered. "Just trying to figure out how to hook this thing."

"Need some help?" She asked.

"No!" I answered in a gasp. "Please no!"

I heard her laugh.

"It's fine." She said. "You'll get it."

So after that embarrassing moment we left the store with enough new clothes to fill my whole wardrobe and a new pair of sneakers that actually fit my feet.

"We'll, that wasn't so bad, was it?" My mom asked as we left.

I shrugged.

"I guess not." I said. "But I still want a new swim suit. So I can get back to racing."

She nodded.

"Don't worry." She said. "We'll get my little fish back in the water."

I nodded and gave her a small smile.

I was about to say something when I froze in shock.

"…Chase, don't you dare!" A voice in back of me shouted.

"And why not?" Demanded a boy with brown hair and blue eyes.

"Because I said so!" A blond headed girl with storm grey eyes responded as a native American looking girl joined the two of them.

"Chase." I muttered under my breath.

"What's wrong?" My mother asked.

"She said Chase." I answered. "His last name is Chase."

It was at this point that my arm started to feel like it was vibrating. My skin was tingling under the bandage.

"Ah," I gasped under my breath and I clutched at my arm.

"Persi," My mom said in a tone that made me think she was trying to contain her emotions. "You need to talk to him. Or the vibrating your feeling on your arm won't stop."

I looked her in the eyes as she gave me a nod.

'This is gona suck.' I thought bitterly as I approached the brown haired boy.

"Chase?" I called out.

The boy and the blond girl both turned to face me.

"Who are you?" The boy asked.

"I'm Persi Jackson." I said. "My timer just went off."

The boy's eyebrows went up in surprise and he turned to face the blond girl who was staring at me in shock.

"You're Persephone Jackson?" She asked me.

I nodded and her face flooded with relief.

"It's nice to finally meet you." She said.

"You better be nice to my sister." The brown haired boy warned.

"Malcom," The blond cut in. "Be nice to her."

Malcom frowned as the native American looking girl dragged him away.

The blond girl then turned back to me. "Sorry about my brother." She said. "I tried to ditch him but with my timer about to go off he refused to leave me alone."

Now I was the one who was surprised.

"You're Chase?" I asked her.

She frowned.

"My names Annabeth." She said. "It should be on your tattoo."

I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly as her eyes flew down to my left arm.

"Did you hurt your arm?" She asked.

"No," I answered. "I, uh, was driving myself crazy looking at your last name and so I wrapped it in a bandage yesterday."

She nodded.

"Well I only turned twenty-one today." She said. "So you haven't seen my name yet?"

I shook my head as she walked up to me and held out her hand expectantly. I held out my left arm as she unwrapped the bandage to reveal the numbers had disappeared and the name now read Annabeth Chase.

As she reached out to touch the tattoo the vibrating in my arm stopped.

"It's good to finally meet you." She said again.

"I just really don't get it now." I said out loud.

"Get what?" She asked me.

"I was a guy three days ago when my change hit." I said. "I just don't know why I'm a girl."

Annabeth frowned at me, her grey eyes seaming to analyze me.

"That does seem strange." She said. "But I suppose we never will know for sure why, only that it did."

I nodded.

"Persi?" My mom called out as she approached us. "Is this the one?"

I nodded.

"Mom, this is Annabeth Chase." I said. "Annabeth, this is my mother, Sally Jackson."

"It's nice to meet you, mam." Annabeth greeted.

"Please, call me Sally." My mother said with a laugh as she stretched out an arm to shake Annabeth's hand.

After the small talk ended Annabeth checked her watch and her face went pail.

"I have to go." She said. "My dad's gona kill me."

"Need a ride?" My mother asked.

"No, it's fine." Annabeth answered. "My friend Piper has a car but I would like to get your phone number."

She was looking at me expectantly so I got out my phone and pulled up the contacts so she could put her number in my phone.

Once she did I sent her a text so she had mine.

"I'll call you tomorrow." She promised and ran off to find her brother and friend.

"Oh, you two are so cute together." My mother teased when she left.

"Mom." I groaned.

POV Change!

POV: Annabeth

"Where the hell have you been!"

My father demanded.

"Sorry." I began before Malcom could open his mouth. "It won't happen again."

"Where were you?" He repeated.

"Her timer went off." Malcom cut in.

My dad's eyebrows went up in surprise.

"Today?" He asked.

I nodded and shot Malcom a glare.

"Yah." I said. "She seems nice."

"She?" My dad cut in. "So it's a girl?"

I nodded as my dad continued to frown at me.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" He asked. "All those times I would talk to you about boys and warning you about dating." He shook his head. "You know you could have told me any time."

"I wasn't sure myself." I said. "Plus with the tattoos I always figured that it would tell me anyway."

My father nodded.

"Well, get to bed." He said. "And I expect to meet this Persephone tomorrow."

"Dad, I'm twenty-one." I said. "I think I'm a little old for bedtimes."

"Not as long as your living under my roof." He said with a teasing grin.

"I can't wait for collage to start back up," I sighed. "No more curfew in the dorms."

With that I went up the stairs to my room.

Today was a weird day.


End file.
